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In addition many commuters will also face higher rises than the 5.8 per cent announced by ATOC, as companies push up the cost of season tickets on some popular routes.

Commuters on Southeastern, which links Kent, East Sussex and some London suburbs, are bracing themselves for fare rises averaging 7.8 per cent.

But the headline figures have masked a little noticed change brought in by the Coalition, which said that operators could raise the cost of some season tickets by even more – as long as smaller increases were imposed elsewhere.

It is understood that commuters on Southeastern will be particularly badly hit with the company imposing some rises of up to 12.7 per cent, taking advantage the five per cent flexibility offered by the Government.

This will see the cost of an annual season ticket between Canterbury and London go up from £3.840 to £4,328 a rise of £488.

The fare rises were condemned by Gerry Doherty, general secretary of the Transport and Salaried Staffs Association.

"It is simply outrageous that hard pressed commuters are being forced to pay fare hikes of up to 10 per cent when they are themselves facing pay freezes and job cuts," he said.

"Ministers claim this is to pay for a better railway Passengers will regard that as a sick joke seeing as we have the most expensive and overcrowded railway in Europe."

Passenger groups also condemned the rises. “The huge fare rises will hit passengers particularly hard in what is a difficult time for many people," said Jo de Bank of London TravelWatch

"We are alarmed that this dramatic rise could drive passengers off trains. Passengers in London depend on public transport, and it cannot be right to price people off it."

Andrew Gwynne, Labour's rail spokesman, added: "Clearly this will mean that the burden will shift even more onto the passenger".

However Michael Roberts, ATOC's chief executive. defended the rises.“We know times are tough for many people but next year’s fare increases will ensure that Britain can continue investing in its railways.

“Even with these fare increases, the money passengers spend on fares covers only half the cost of running the railways – taxpayers make up the difference. The government is sticking with the previous administration’s policy to cut the taxpayers’ contribution to the overall cost of running the railways."